Star Wars Is Finally Getting Its First Truly Great Trilogy

Whatever one's opinion is of the Star Wars franchise, it's hard to deny that there have been some truly tremendous and genre-defining releases that helped truly cement it as one of the greatest works of sci-fi ever created. Star Wars has endured a barrage of mediocre TV series and critically panned films for a reason, as the very best of the franchise continues to hold it aloft in the minds of its dogmatic fans and instill in all of us the hope that it can once again be as great as so many fondly remember it being.

Indeed, recently it has been due to the efforts of shows like Andor, and, more specifically, a burgeoning trilogy, that have enabled Star Wars to maintain its legacy as a universe worth investing in. The latter, a soon-to-be-completed trilogy, has proven already to be some of the greatest Jedi-focused Star Wars content, and, in many respects, surpasses even the best movies and expanded media. While it has yet to deliver the promise of being the sole great trilogy in Star Wars history, it seems very much destined to achieve that lofty goal.

Star Wars Has Struggled To Land A Great Trilogy

I am not one to disregard the achievements of a franchise based on a few poor entries, nor will I tell you that your preferred Star Wars trilogy is undeserving of the admiration it deservedly receives. Star Wars, for all its well-documented flaws, continues to inspire new generations of fans because of just how incredible its very best entries are. Each trilogy is someone's favorite, and each one holds up in spite of its weakest link. Sure, there are bad examples in every era, but, for the most part, whatever Star Wars trilogy you choose to experience will be fun.

That being said, it's hard to argue that there has been a truly perfect trilogy, one that has delivered consistent brilliance across all three entries. The prequel trilogy was largely derided at the time, and even now, after having been recognized by the generation that grew up with it as being far better than critics gave it credit for back in the early 2000s, its overreliance on CGI, poorly written characters, and bizarre fixation on delivering perhaps the most mind-numbing approach to political discourse in the Star Wars universe, holds it back.

Similarly, the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy are marred with flaws, the former struggling with its more kid-friendly final entry and the latter failing due to its instance on pleasing everyone and thus pleasing no-one. However, amongst these three trilogies lies another, one that exchanged the silver screen for our PC monitors and TVs, yet is far more capable of delivering the Jedi action, heart, and whimsy that Star Wars is best known for. I am, of course, referring to the Star Wars Jedi games, a series that is set to conclude with its upcoming third installment.

The Star Wars Jedi Trilogy Could Be The Franchise's Best

Star Wars Jedi has proven to be one of the most consistent Star Wars trilogies ever created. This is, in large part, thanks to Respawn Entertainment's understanding of what makes the Star Wars universe so special, its clear grasp on the importance of exploring the series' mythos of complex moral quandaries, delivering high-octane moments of action that are backed by emotionally charged motives, and offering moments of peace and reflection that help develop a robust cast of characters led by a nuanced protagonist.

Previous Star Wars media have delivered these exact qualities, with Andor perhaps being the prime example, but Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel, Survivor, do it with such clarity and gravity that they feel in a completely different league to their contemporaries. It helps that they're interactive, allowing players to live out their Jedi fantasies, dark, moody moments of somber introspection included. However, even beyond the epic boss battles and intricate exploration across gorgeous new planets, Star Wars Jedi has delivered, thus far, a compelling narrative that never fails to surprise and land its emotional gutpunches.

Of course, this is, in large part, thanks to Cal Kestis, a legendary Jedi whose journey from plucky upstart to a hero besieged by endless moral dilemmas, makes him one of Star Wars' greatest characters. His story arc from Fallen Order to Survivor sees him truly embody the characteristics that have made some of Star Wars' greatest heroes so relatable and compelling while also managing to offer a unique perspective on this well-explored universe. It is his shoulders that carry the weight of this trilogy, and it is he alone that will determine how great the third game turns out.

Star Wars Jedi Part 3 Needs To Live Up To The Hype

Star Wars Jedi Part 3's release date is still interminably far away, so, sadly, we won't know for a little while whether Respawn Entertainment manages to stick the landing. However, based solely on its track record, the incredible character work, dialogue, and meaningful stories in both of the aforementioned Star Wars Jedi games, alongside its ability to make the short single-player campaign of a multiplayer shooter one of the most emotional and the best in its genre, it feels as if the developer is well suited to crafting the finest trilogy Star Wars has ever seen.

One of the series' strengths has been its lack of connection, aside from references and the odd cameo here and there, to the wider expanded universe, specifically the films and TV shows. Sure, it explores the High Republic and Darth Vader pops up to swing his lightsaber around menacingly, but Cal's absence from the films, and the plethora of new characters designed to explore under-utilized aspects of the wider Star Wars lore, has made the Jedi games not only more accessible, but self-contained and thus not bound to the constraints that hamper the TV shows and films.

Should it be able to deliver that, alongside a satisfying conclusion to Cal's story, then Part 3 is sure to make the Star Wars Jedi trilogy the very best the franchise has ever known. Of course, ultimately, that award is largely subjective, as many will surely attribute it to the aforementioned trilogies, all of which I've dismissed as being the best. However, I truly believe that Star Wars Jedi can be the first trilogy in the franchises' history to deliver a compelling narrative from start to finish without sacrificing its overall quality or faltering at the last hurdle.